B Christy
L V Prasad Eye Institute, Vision Rehabilitation Department, Hyderabad, India
People with low vision are heterogeneous in nature with regard to age, degree, on set, type and amount of residual vision, socio-economic and educational background. Each person has unique needs that require individualized attention. Persons with low vision are best satisfied only when their unique needs are met. Rehabilitation services provided as the integral part of low vision care helps in meeting the challenges of an individual person with low vision.
After the in-depth low vision examination and an initial demonstration of prescribed optical devices, the rehabilitation specialist takes place in the service delivery. Rehabilitation efforts concentrate on areas of specific concern to the individual which includes counseling and guidance, refining the use of optical and non-optical devices, paying special attention to lighting techniques and positioning of materials. Training in special skills required for functional activities such as coin identification, orientation and mobility, home management skills, needle threading, daily living skills, coin identification are integrated along with the routine examination.
Low vision rehabilitation is teamwork and the essential ingredient of successful low vision services depends on the mutual trust, understanding, and cooperation maintained between the professionals from clinical and rehabilitation aspects.
A total no of 608 persons were benefited from the low vision care between July to September 2001 at vision rehabilitation centres, LVPEI, South India. Out of total patients referred to rehabilitation services 507 received training in instructional training in using optical and non-optical devices, 142 in special skills training and 247 received educational and vocational guidance.
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